Balloting-machine



N0. 6|4,800. Patented Nov. 22, I898. W. M. DDUGHERTY.

BALLOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Sept. 1, 1897.) v (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Patented Nov. 22, I898. W. M; DOUGHERTY.

BALLOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Sept. 1, 1897.)

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PATENT \VILLIAM M. DOUGHERTY, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

BALLOTlNG-MACHINE.

sPEcrFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,800, dated November22, 1895;. Application filed September 1,1897. Serial No. 650,257. (Nomodel.)

To ttZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM M. DOUGH- ERTY, of St. Joseph,in the countyof Buchanan and State of Missouri,have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Balloting-Machines, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention is a balloting-machine having for each candidate anumbering apparatus operative by an arm projecting through the casing ofthe machine, the numbering apparatus being in connection with the doorof the voting-booth, so as to be operated by the movement of the door.

This specification is the disclosure of one form of the invention, whilethe claims define the actual scope of the conception.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detailsection of the means for transmitting movement from the door. Fig. 3 isa fragmentary section looking down upon one of the numberingapparatuses. Fig. 4. is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig.5 is a similar view showing the parts in a different position. Fig. 6 isa sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 7 is a detailsection illustrating the coupling for the shafts.

The numbering device or counter for each candidate is inclosed in a boxor casing. These boxes or casings are separate from each other and inthe operative machine are held in proximity by fastening devices. WVhenthe candidates for an election are determined, the necessary countersare assembled to form the complete machine, arrangement being made forthe candidates of each party and forother questions that are to bedecided by the election. This enables the machine to be adapted toelections presenting great varieties of questions.

The box or casing of each counter has a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8,rigidly joined edges of the walls 7 and 8 have inwardly-running ledges10, forming an open top. This open top and the side and end walls,without The upper 1 the bottom wall, form a compact casing for themechanism of the counter.

Fixed in the casing of each counter and running between the end walls 9thereof is a shaft 11. Mounted to rock on the shaft 11 is an arm 12,that has its free portion projected through a vertically-elongated slotin the front wall 7 of the casing, so that the arm may be engaged by thevoter to draw the arm downward. The arm 12 has a spring-pressed pawl 13pivoted thereto. This pawl engages pins 14, fixed on a disk 15, carriedloosely on the shaft 11, the pins 1e being arranged in a circular line,so that by rocking the arm 12 the disk 15 will be turned a fraction of arevolution, such fraction being equal to the distance between the pins1%. The pins lat of the disk 15 are pressed by a spring-pawl 16, whichserves to hold the disk 15 from idle movement. Mounted loosely on theshaft 11 and alongside the disk 15 are three additional disks 17, 18,and 19.

On the side of the disk 15, opposite the side having the pins 14, aspring-pressed pawl 20 is mounted. This pawl is juxtaposed to a cam 21,that is keyed on the shaft 11 close alongside of the disk 15. The disk17, such being the disk contiguous to the disk 15, has a series ofcircularly-arranged pins 22 projecting from its left-hand face, so thatas the disk 15 turns the pawl 20 around the stationary shaft 11 the pawl20, on being thrown by the action of the cam 21, will engage one of thepins 22 and impart a turning movement to the disk 17, such movementcontinuing until the cam 21 permits the pawl 20 to move back to itsnormal position. The cam is arranged to throw the pawl 20 intoengagement with one of the pins 22 once for every revolution of the disk15. Consequently when one revolution of the disk 15 is effected the disk17 is moved one fraction of a revolution. The disks 18 and 19 areprovided with devices similar to the pawl 20, the cam 21, and the pins22, whereby one revolution of the disk 17 turns the disk 18 a fractionof a revolution, and one revolution of the disk 18 turns the disk 19 afraction of a revolution. The pcripheries of the disks 15, 17, 18, and19 being provided with numbers, as shown in Fig. 3, serve to form adevice recording the number of times that the arm 12 is drawn down,whichis to say the number of ballots cast for the candidate to whom the arm12 is devoted. The aggregate of ballots may be read from the disks 15,17, 18, and 19 at any desired pointfor example, through openings in therear walls 8. Spring-pressed brakes 23 bear upon the peripheries of thedisks 17, 18, and 19 to prevent idle movement thereof.

The counters, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are arranged when the machineis assembled in vertical tiers representing the parties involved in theelection. The vertical meeting edges of the casings are held together bystrips 24,arranged at front and rear. Between the corresponding frontand rear strips 24 tiebolts 25 pass, whereby the parts of the machineare held rigidly together. The end walls of the assembled casings areembraced by channel-plates 26, rigidly held in place by tie-bolts 27.The strips 24 and the channelplates 26 are rigidly joined at their lowerends by cross-pieces 28, and the machine is supported rigidly on asuitable base through the medium of bars 29 and braces 30, one of whichis shown in Fig. 1. The bottom row of casings rests upon twostring-pieces 28, rigidly attached to the plates 26 and strips 24 andextending horizontally a short distance above the string-pieces 28. Onlyone of the stringpieces 28 is shown in Fig. 1. The strips 24 and plates26 are represented as broken at their upper ends in Fig. 1. This isintended to show that the counters may be increased to any number andthat these parts 24 and 26 may have any desired length. Also the machinemay be widened by increasing the length of the string-pieces 28 and 28and increasing the number of the front and rear strips 24. Above thecounters is held a suitable crown-plate 31, bearing the names and, ifnecessary, the emblems of the parties involved in the election.

Sliding in a way 32, rigidly secured to one of the channel-plates 26, isa cam-plate 33, to which is pivoted a link This link 34, as shown inFig. 2, mayhave connection directly with the door of the voting-booth orindirectly by any means that may be desired, so that as the door of thebooth is opened the cam plate 33 will be drawn forward in the way 32, soas to raise avertically-sliding plate 36, movement between the two partsbeing transmitted through the medium of an antifriction-wheel 37. Thenas the door is closed the cam-plate 33 returns and the plate 36 isdropped. The plate 36 is held suitably guided on a frame having an innerside 38, as shown in Fig. 1, and an outer side 39, joined to the side 38bya front wall 40, as shown in Fig. 3. The side wall 38 is rigidlysecured to the left hand channel-plate 26. A spring 41 presses downwardthe plate 36.

The casing of each counter has rockably mounted therein a shaft 42, suchshafts being located in offset portions 43, formed in the rear walls 8of the casings of the counters.

tVhen the several counters are assembled, the shafts 42 in eachhorizontal tier of counters are coupled so as to form one rigidstructure by means of couplings 44. The couplings 44 consistin clipsembracing the contiguous ends of the shafts 42 and provided withset-screws, bywhich pressure may be applied. hen the machine isassembled, therefore, the several shafts 42, that are horizontallyalined, form contiguous shafts rockably mounted one above the other. Theshafts 42 at the left of the machine project through the adjacentchannel-plate 26 and are provided with rigidly-attached arms 45. Thesearms 45 bear down upon pins 46, secured to the plate 36. Consequently asthe plate 36 is raised by the cam 33 the arms 45 are lifted and theshafts are rocked.

Each shaft 42 is provided with a fixed arm 47, curved to extend forwardbeneath the cor responding shaft 11 and then upward above the same. Apin 48, carried by the free end of each arm 47, is movable through aslot 41), formed in the correspondingarm 12. \Vhen the arms 47 are intheir uppermost position, they engage with the upper end wall of theslot 49, so as to hold the arm 12 in the uppermost position thereof. Aspring-pressed fork 50 is pivotally mounted in the casing of eachcounter. The lower arm of each fork 50 bears upon a pin 51, secured to aportion of the corresponding arm 47', which portion projects past theshaft 42, oppositely to the main portion of the arm, so that as the mainportion of the arm is thrown downward the pins 51 will be lifted and thefork 5O raised to throw the hook-shaped end of the upper member of thefork in engagement with a spur 52,formed on the arm 12. \Vhen one arm 12is thrown down, the arm 47 thereof will be drawn down also. This rocksthe shafts 42, that are coupled with the primarily-moved arm 47. As thearms 47 move down the spring-forks 50 are raised, so that the upper armsthereof will be moved into engagement with the spurs 52, so as to lockthe arms 12. This action takes place with reference to all the arms 12in the horizontal line, excepting the arm which has been moved manually.This arm moves past the hook on the fork 50 just before said fork isaffected by the coacting pin 51. Therefore the voter may draw down onearm 1.2 in casting his legitimate ballot; but the other arms of thishorizontal line are locked, so that he cannot cast any of the otherballots in this horizontal line, and should he attempt to effect asecond movement of the arm 12, which he first operated, such arm onbeing raised will have its spur 52 immediately locked with the coactingfork 50. The voter next proceeds to the remaining horizontal tiers ofarms 12 and casts the desired ballots by repeating the above-describedoperation. As

the first voter opens the door of the booth on entering the plate 36 israised by the action of the cam 33, and all of the shafts 42 are rocked,so as to raise all of the arms 47 and return all parts to their normalposition. Then as the door of the booth is closed when the voter entersthe plate 36 drops and the arms 45 are left out of contact with the pins46, so that the necessary operations may be performed. The sameoperation described as taking place when the first operator opens thedoor to enter the booth takes place when he opens the door to leave itafter voting and takes place thereafter as the other voters leave it.The shafts 42 are friction-tight in their bearings, so that loosemovement of the shafts will not occur. Mounted to slide along the innerface of the front wall 7 of each casing is a lock-plate 53, held in itslooking position by a spring 53. hen the counters are assembled to formthe operative machine, the horizontally-alined lock-plates 53 arecoupled to each other by means of screws 54. (Shown in Fig. 3.) Thisprovides a rigid lock-plate for each horizontal tier of counters. Theleft-hand counter of each horizontal tier is provided with a horizontalslot in its front wall 7, through which the stem of a knob 55 projects-The knobs 55 are connected, respectively, with the horizontal lines oflockplates 53. The lock-plates being each held by a spring normally bearunder the arms 12 to prevent the arms 12 from being moved down. Eachlock-plate 53 has a notch corresponding to one of the arms 12 in theadjacent horizontal line of arms, the notches be-' ing arranged so thatonly one notch at a time may register with the arms upon the sliding ofthe lock-plate. Consequently it is impossible to operate two arms ,12 ina horizontal line simultaneously. These lock-plates are operatedmanually and are independent of the automatic locking effected by theparts 47 and 50. By such means the absence of fraud is insured.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a shaft, arms mounted to swingthereon and having slots therein, a second shaft, arms fixed to saidsecond shaft and respectively having connections with the slots of thefirst-named arms, and pivotallymounted forks engaged by the second-namedarms and capable of being moved upon the movement of said arms.

2. The combination of swinging arms having slots therein and having eacha spur, additional arms having each a pin respectively movable in theslots of the first-named arms, and pivotally-mounted spring-forks, onearm of each of which is engaged by one of the said additional arms, andthe second arm of each of which has a hook respectively capable oflooking with the spurs of the first-named arms.

3.. The combination of a shaft, arms swinging thereon and having each aslot, a pawl carried by each arm, disks mounted on the shaft and engagedrespectively by the pawls whereby to turn the disks upon the movement ofthe arms, a second shaft, swinging arms mounted thereon and having eacha pin respectively engaging the slots of the firstnamed arms, andpivotally-mounted forks respectively engaged by the second arms andmovable upon the movement of said second arms.

4. In a voting apparatus, the combination of counters, swinging armsrespectively transmitting movement thereto, additional swinging armsrespectively having connection with the first arms, andpivotally-mounted hooks respectively engaged by the said additionalswinging arms and movable by said arms.

5. The combination, with a casing, of counters mounted therein, swingingarms mounted in the casing and respectively transmitting movement to theindicating apparatus, additional swinging arms mounted in the casingrespectively adjacent to the first swinging arms and having connect-iontherewith, and forks pivotally mounted in the casing and respectivelyengaged by the said additional swinging arms so as to be moved by saidarms.

6. The combination with a casing, of counters each comprising a shaftmounted therein, a plurality of disks mounted on the shaft, each diskhaving a series of pins, a pawl pivotally mounted on one of the disksand capable of engaging the pins of the other disk, a spring pressingthe pawl, and a cam fixed to the shaft and periodically throwing thepawl, arms respectively mounted to swing adjacent to the disks havingthe pawls, pawls respec tively carried by the arms and capable of e11-gaging the pins on said disks with the pawls, additional arms swingingin the casing, and pivoted forks carried in the casing and engaged bythe said additional arms and thrown thereby.

7 In a balloting apparatus, the combination of arms adapted to registervotes, additional arms respectively movably mounted adjacent to thefirst arms and having connections therewith, and forks pivotally mountedadjacent to the arms and respectively engaged by the said additionalarms and moved thereby.

8. In a balloting apparatus, the combination of a ballot-counter, meansfor transmitting movement thereto by which to record a ballot, a lockfor said means, a rock-shaft, an arm attached to the rock-shaft andooacting with said means, a second arm attached to the rock-shaft, asliding plate having connection with the second arm, and a cam slidabletransversely to the plate and adapted to move the same.

WILLIAM M. DOUGHERTY.

"Witnesses:

WM. D. RUSK, R. H. JORDAN.

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